Pricing breakdown · Updated August 2026
Ruby's plans run $250/month for 50 receptionist minutes up to $1,725/month for 500 — that's $3.45 to $5.00 per minute, per Ruby's published pricing as of August 2026. Here's the full breakdown, the math, and what to check before you sign.
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Ruby's 2026 virtual receptionist plans. Straight from their pricing page.
Ruby is one of the best-known live virtual receptionist services in the US, and unlike some competitors it publishes its pricing openly. All numbers below are per Ruby's published pricing as of August 2026. Ruby sells receptionist service in blocks of monthly minutes — every minute a Ruby receptionist spends on your callers draws down your plan.
| Ruby plan | Minutes / month | Price / month | Effective per-minute |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starter | 50 | $250 | $5.00 |
| Professional | 100 | $395 | $3.95 |
| Business | 200 | $720 | $3.60 |
| Enterprise | 500 | $1,725 | $3.45 |
The per-minute column is simple division (plan price ÷ included minutes) — Ruby markets plan prices, not per-minute rates. All four tiers include the same core features; what you're choosing between is minute volume. Ruby's pricing page also states there are no additional or hidden fees for activation, onboarding, setup, or customization, which is genuinely better than the setup fees some answering services still charge.
One number Ruby does not publish: overage rates. If your callers use more minutes than your plan includes, the pricing page doesn't say what each additional minute costs as of August 2026. That's not unusual in this industry, but it's the first question to ask a Ruby sales rep, because busy months are exactly when an answering service earns its keep — and exactly when a per-minute model gets expensive.
Ruby's live chat pricing and bundles.
Ruby also sells website live chat, staffed by the same team, priced per chat rather than per minute. Per Ruby's published pricing as of August 2026:
| Chat plan | Chats / month | Standalone price | Bundled with receptionist plan |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starter | 10 | $143/mo | $115/mo |
| Professional | 30 | $335/mo | $268/mo |
| Organization | 50 | $520/mo | $416/mo |
Ruby describes the bundle as roughly 20% savings on the chat side. So a business running the 200-minute receptionist plan plus 30 bundled chats would pay $988/month ($720 + $268) at published rates — before any overage.
What the minutes actually buy you. Do this math before you pick a tier.
Ruby vs. ServiceHawk. A different model, not just a different price.
ServiceHawk isn't a cheaper Ruby — it's a different approach. Ruby staffs live human receptionists and bills by the minute. ServiceHawk's AI receptionist, Bella, answers every call herself, 24/7, with no minute pool to manage. We don't publish a rate card because pricing is custom, based on your call volume and what you need handled — not because we're hiding a meter.
| Ruby | ServiceHawk AI | |
|---|---|---|
| Who answers | Live human receptionists | Bella, an AI receptionist |
| Pricing model | Monthly minute plans, $250–$1,725/mo published | Custom, based on call volume and needs |
| Per-minute meter | Yes — every answered minute draws down your plan | No minute counting |
| Overage risk in busy months | Yes (rates not published) | None |
| 24/7 answering | Available | Always — same coverage at 2 AM as 2 PM |
| Simultaneous calls | Depends on receptionist availability | Every call answered, even at once |
| Languages | English (see Ruby's site for current language options) | English and Spanish |
| Setup fees | None, per published pricing | None — and a 30-day money-back guarantee |
Honest guidance: if your callers strongly prefer a human voice and your volume is low and steady, Ruby's model can serve you well — they've been doing this for over two decades. If your volume is high, spiky, after-hours-heavy, or multilingual — or you're tired of doing minute math every month — that's the situation ServiceHawk was built for. The fastest way to judge an AI receptionist isn't a features page; it's hearing her take a call about your business, which is what the demo below does.
How to compare quotes without getting burned.
Count your real call volume first. Pull last month's inbound call log from your phone provider. Number of calls × average handle time = the minutes you'd actually consume on a per-minute plan.
Ask every vendor the overage question. “What does minute 201 cost?” is the question that separates a predictable bill from a surprising one. Ruby doesn't publish this number, so get it in writing.
Test with your own scenarios. Whatever service you're considering, make it handle your hardest real call — an after-hours emergency, a Spanish speaker, two calls at once — before you commit.
Ruby pricing questions, answered.
Competitor figures reflect published pricing as of August 2026 — plans and rates change; confirm current pricing on each provider’s site.
Per Ruby's published pricing as of August 2026, virtual receptionist plans are $250/month for 50 receptionist minutes, $395 for 100 minutes, $720 for 200 minutes, and $1,725 for 500 minutes. Live chat is sold separately: $143/month for 10 chats, $335 for 30, and $520 for 50, with roughly 20% off chat pricing when bundled with a receptionist plan.
Ruby prices by plan, not by a single per-minute rate. Dividing published plan prices by included minutes, the effective rate is $5.00/minute on the 50-minute plan, $3.95 on the 100-minute plan, $3.60 on the 200-minute plan, and $3.45 on the 500-minute plan, per Ruby's published pricing as of August 2026.
No. Ruby's pricing page states there are no additional or hidden fees for activation, onboarding, setup, or customization, per Ruby's published pricing as of August 2026.
Ruby does not publish per-minute overage rates on its pricing page as of August 2026, so we can't quote a number here. If you expect variable call volume, ask Ruby directly what overage minutes cost on your tier before you sign up — the effective rate on extra minutes is the figure that matters most for busy months.
Yes. Ruby's site describes 24/7, 365-day answering as an option, and also supports set business-hours coverage (for example 8–6 or 9–5) if you prefer. Every answered minute counts against your monthly plan allotment either way.
ServiceHawk doesn't use per-minute plans, so there's no minute allotment to manage and no meter running while a caller talks. Pricing is custom, based on your call volume and what you need handled — we quote it after a short conversation about your business, and you hear a live demo on your own phone before you ever pay.
Live demo
Tell us about your business. Bella calls you back with a demo built for it — in English, or Spanish — or we email you the demo links instead. Your choice.
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